Gruoch of Scotland (Old Gaelic: Gruoch inghean Boite; born c. 1015 — died after 1057) was a Scottish noblewoman who became Queen consort of Alba as the wife of King Macbeth mac Findlaech.
Biography[]
Origins and family[]
Gruoch was the daughter of Boite Mac Cináeda, placing her in the dynastic network of the House of Alpin and giving her a possible claim—through her paternal line—to the Scottish kingship. The exact identity of her grandfather (either Kenneth II or Kenneth III in some reconstructions) is debated by scholars, and the dates of her life are uncertain.
First marriage and Lulach[]
Before 1032 Gruoch was married to Gille Coemgáin (Gillecomgain) mac Máil Brigti, Mormaer of Moray. From that marriage she had at least one son, Lulach, who later became king after Macbeth’s death. Gillecomgain was burned in a hall with many men in 1032, an event that significantly altered the balance of power in Moray.
Marriage to Macbeth and queenship (1040–1057)[]
After Gillecomgain’s death Gruoch married Macbeth, who in 1040 succeeded to the kingship of Alba (Scots). As Macbeth’s queen, Gruoch appears with him in surviving charters and endowments; sources identify them together in documents concerning religious foundations, showing her recognised status as queen. Macbeth accepted Lulach as his heir.
Gallery[]
